Rose amongst thorns: Danny sets worrying precedent for Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur fans will have felt on top of the world following two successful seasons in the Premier League but fans need to be warned that things could come crashing to the ground in the next 12 months.

As Daniel Levy balances on-field glory with the necessary changes off the field to improve Spurs’ financial capabilities, Tottenham find themselves on a very slippy slope and the next 12 months are set to be extremely crucial.

In football, you’re only as good as your last season and Spurs face a mammoth task in the year ahead as Mauricio Pochettino’s side compete with their heavy-spending rivals in the Premier League and look to improve in Europe, following a premature exit from the Champions League last season.

Riding high from finishing as runners-up last term, Spurs fans would have hoped for a successful summer but the reality of moving stadium and trying to compete in the process is hitting the club hard – with Kyle Walker already leaving for Manchester City and Danny Rose angling for a move of his own.

Can't wait to see Tottenham continue their Premier League countdown today.

Rose’s exclusive interview with The Sun, where he was brutally honest about his ambitions to move back up north and win trophies, may have fans irate as they consider turning on another ‘money-grabbing’ footballer but the fact of the matter is Rose makes some very good points – and Tottenham may need to get used to hearing these sort of comments in the years to come.

“Time is running out and I do want to win trophies. I don’t want to play football for 15 years and not have one trophy or one medal.

“Sorry, that’s not what I am about. I wouldn’t be happy with that. I want to win something.”

Danny Rose

Moving stadium can go one of two ways; either you stay stable and competitive, as Arsenal did following their move to the Emirates Stadium, or you crumble under the weight of all the changes, which West Ham endured last season.

Should the unthinkable happen and Spurs slip-out of the top-four next season, then the Lilywhites will face a real battle on their hands keeping their key-players at the club and a mass exodus could occur- with Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and even manager Mauricio Pochettino could be tempted elswhere.

Captain Lloris will be 31 by the time next summer comes calling and may seek a transfer that can hand him silverware and 28-year-old Alderweireld may be in the same boat. For Kane and Alli, Europe’s elite will be vying for a move if the pair continues with their performances from recent seasons and it may be difficult for them to snub a move.

Pochettino himself may also be tempted to take a step-up in his career and Spurs will be wary of the usual manager merry-go-round that follows a World Cup campaign, as numerous international sides will make changes and positions at big clubs could become available.

The question you have to ask is whether all the aforementioned names would stay at Tottenham next season if the Lilywhites fail to win a trophy and slip out of the top four. Putting bias aside, the answer is almost a guaranteed no. They’ll take the step-up and Spurs need to be prepared for that.

Playing at Wembley isn’t the only major difference for Tottenham this season as the Lilywhites enter the campaign with a wealth of expectation on their shoulders. After gunning for the title in each of the previous two campaigns, Pochettino’s side will no longer be perceived to be overachieving and their standards have been raised.

Tottenham needs to show they have not peaked and that they’re capable of taking the step-up to become a successful side, which won’t be an easy ask for a side that has only the League Cup to their name since the turn of the millennia.